1988Final results
1988 election for North Carolina's 6th District
U.S. House · North Carolina
Howard Coble (R) won with 62.5% of the vote, defeating Tom Gilmore (D) by 24.9 points.
Howard CobleRepublican · winner
62.5%116,534
Tom GilmoreDemocrat
37.5%70,008
186,542 votes
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 1988
Races before and after
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
Money in this race
Each line compares the two campaigns on one scale.
Tom GilmoreHoward Coble
$586.4K
Raised by the campaign
$736.3K
$583K
Spent by the campaign
$738.1K
$1K
Cash on hand
$16.7K
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1988.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1988